A forum that examines problems undermining the development of Cameroon in particular and Africa in general, with a view to charting the way forward. The development of Africa is first and foremost an African task.

I know a twitter when I see oneThere may be manyBut there`s just oneThe right one.Check it outIt looks immaculateSounds bigSmells like Ngaoundere perfumeTastes like chicken without lemonNo doubt,the archbishop loves itBecause it looks like a chaliceSpotted outside of the cathedralThe archbishop recalls that from his good old daysIn YagouaIn DoualaIn Rome And in Bangui.But we weren`t thereOr were you?Copyright 2010

My cup of tea is not infusedBut I know I`m not out of my mindEven if I was being mortified by strifeAny time,any where,I`m ready to startHoping I won`t again be blindYet you`re alone to have the ray litMe,I`m marooned herewith my cross to plod.

jeudi 29 juillet 2010

Insecticides are not good enoughEspecially in the agro-business industryForget about poached protected speciesOr informally run modern day brothelsWhat matters is ownership of googleAnd red-necked camels thirsty for revenge.

Sole proprietorship is very roughEven when pesticides are the core of the industryWhen the whole range is wheeled out of the seasAnd professors line up before their hotelsI will fetch my lone goggleAnd in the process, elope to Stonehenge.

mercredi 28 juillet 2010

Blessed are those in the LordFor they are the core of God’s gloryThey alone will see the light on highAnd walk the Sanctum SanctorumTheirs is a life full of honey and milkAnd their very being, the Lord’s temple.

Since not every president is a FordEven those who come along without a storyIt is easy for one or two to vieBut when it comes to counting blessings on the fulcrumAlmost everyone will dry them out on silkNot knowing that what will last is the ripple.

One of the most vocal advocates of what has come to be known as “The Anglophone Problem” of Cameroon, has again slammed his hand on the table, figuratively speaking, in order to drive home his point. The advocate, who is none other than Chief A.S. Ngwana, has done so by publishing a pamphlet in which he takes as stimulus the recent verdict by the African Commission in Banjul.

Entitled, “The Anglophone Problem: The Verdict of the African Commission”, the 25 page publication picks up the debate from the point of view of the ruling having been a timely vindication of the author’s advocacy of a federal state structure as the final solution to the Anglophone problem.

A.S. Ngwana places the issue within the wider context of the ‘world’: “The verdict of the SCNC versus La République du Cameroun by the African Commission on Human Rights is so important that we consider it a victory for the English speaking people of the British Southern Cameroons (West Cameroon). The outside world has been informed and alerted as to the injustices, marginalization and the betrayals the people of the British Cameroons (West Cameroon) have suffered since the abolition of the Federal Republic of Cameroon”.

Ngwana reproduces the recommendations made by the African Commission; firstly as they apply to “the Respondent State, the La République du Cameroun”, and next as they pertain to “the complainants and the SCNC and SCAPO in particular”. According to the verdict, the respondent state is enjoined to ensure fairness and justice while the opposite party is asked to “transform into a political party” and “abandon secessionism”, as well as “engage in dialogue with the respondent State on the constitutional issues and grievances”.

The author further remarks: “As you can see from the above, the recommendations are a very great victory for us who actually voted for unification and for the Cameroon Democratic Party / Cardinal Democratic Party and for the Cameroon Democratic Party”. He further says: “We have never supported violent secession but have advocated a return to federalism and have condemned marginalization, betrayal and abuse of unification. So the recommendations are in keeping with our aspirations.” In the latter part of the publication, Ngwana reproduces a speech he made some years earlier outlining the position of his party on the question of the Anglophone problem whose solution he summarizes as federation instead of secession.

Undoubtedly, Ngwana²s pamphlet is a useful contribution to the ongoing debate on the status of Cameroon’s minority Anglophone community and where it goes from here. Nonetheless, it is regrettable that for a publication on such a sensitive issue, the date of publication is nowhere indicated in the work. As a result, this vacuum creates confusion in the mind of the reader and leaves him or her unfocused and unsettled.

People are meant to moveNot to stand stillIf you stand still, then like Lot`s cursed wifeYou`re doomed.

Not every stupid human act points to the symmetrical doveBut God`s actions stem from the common willThat`s what I call the essence of lifeEven if you are a second prodigal sonYou still end up with an ear flea besieged.

I just came in from WashingtonWhere I went to see the queenI brought back her bedside bibleAnd left her my bedroom slippersI wonder what the President will give herAs she troops back to Buckingham Palace, sullen-faced.

These are no longer the days of Bill ClintonNor those of Steve Mc QueenThis is the season of the rotten rubbleWhen royalty goes in search of fresh waters.Our only hope is that they don’t go too farOtherwise, the entire race will be razed.

vendredi 23 juillet 2010

Don't hand it that wayI want it gift-wrappedThink nothing of the paperAnything will doBut when it comes to pulling the stopsRemember to start with Sarkozy.

Here the worst month is MayWhen sprouting plants are dappledAnd four-footed mamals recall their makerBut if you want to just go with the flowThen who will fill in the glotal stops?Or should we head back to the Zambezi?

When things are at their peakLook for the king birdThroughout the length and breathOf the universe with a lining of silverIf your own doorman evokes the eagle's fallThen throughout your life, avoid dotingI mean, doting.

I don’t like pent up feelingsThey make me feel awfulAs if I still lived in LiverpoolYet, I’ve never been a fan of Liverpool CityAnyway, Liverpool is better than NewcastleThe worst is Yorkshire for its pudding.

Thank God coal pits are no longer banana peelingsThey’re modern day Picassos for the artfulOr journeymen who fear falling in the pool CityEven so, for those of us who live in BristolSouthampton smacks of a bit of pudding.

mercredi 21 juillet 2010

It’s surely not everyday that one comes across a book on one’s own local community, especially in a Cameroon where the average citizen with money in his pocket, would rush for a bottle of beer rather than a book to read. So when one is landed with such a catch, it is a moment that calls for celebration. It’s a windfall.

Such is the case with my recent discovery somewhere of a booklet that traces the recent history of the Mankon people. Mankon is one of the four main villages that make up Bamenda I Sub Division and Bamenda I Council in Mezam Division of the North West Province of Cameroon. The other three are Chomba, Mbatu and Nsongwa. Interestingly the four villages speak various dialects of the same language which when expanded to include similar other ones in the Division, is called, “Ngemba”, the meaning being, “I say, eh?”

The book entitled: Focus on Nukwi Nu Fo Ndefru III: Mankon Cultural Festival, 23rd to 31st December 1984, is compiled and edited by Yalla Eballa and Emmanuel Aloangamo Aka. In the introduction, A.F. Monikang and F.A. Ndenge state: “In this pamphlet an attempt has been made to present the Mankon people to the general public, especially to the younger generation, and the significance of the cultural festival, Nukwi which is one of the most important heritages of the Mankon people.”

The writers go on to say: “historically, Nukwi dates back to the period of the founding fathers of Mankon. This cultural event takes place once during the reign of each Fo of Mankon to commemorate the death of his successor. Thus the present festival is in memory of the late Fo Ndefru III, and therefore called Nukwi Nu Fo Ndefru III. My impression is that although the present publication is on the Nukwi, it could, in fact have been on any other topic related to the Mankon people, the topic itself being only a ‘pretext’ to highlight some aspect of the locality covered.

The cover of the book is a display of history because it carries the photographs of three Mankon Fons: Fo Angwafo II, grandfather of the current Fo Angwafo III, and Fo Ndefru III, son of the former and father of the latter. Also conspicuously on display on the cover is the cultural emblem of the Mankon people. According to a description of the object found on page 5, the emblem is made up of the cassia leaf which symbolizes compromise and peace, the twin gongs which represent authority, as well as the two elephant tusks which stand for the monarchy. Finally the two hands signify the Kwi’fo (executive body) and Takumbeng (legislative body).

The publication is divided into thirteen sections which include the introduction, the Nukwi festival, an outline geography of Mankon, the origin and migration of the Mankon people, the reign of Fo Ndefru 1919-1959, the integration of malcontents in Mankon in 1947, as well as biographical notes on the late Mafo Manka’a Ngunguru, an outstanding political figure in Mankon political history.

Focus on Nukwi Nu Fo Ndefru III: Mankon Cultural Festival, 23rd to 31st December 1984 is flawed by the fact that it does not carry a date of publication. Furthermore, although the photographs reproduced therein are attention catching, their value diminishes because many are not captioned, neither do they have the year in which they were taken indicated. Even so, the book is one that should be read by everyone, not only people from Mankon.

How is that for an article headline? Misleading, you may say? If that is what you think, then I beg to differ, because I strongly believe that Buea has a problem that needs to be looked at with all seriousness.

Buea, headquarters of the South West Region, is one of Cameroon’s ten regional administrative headquarters. The other nine regions and their regional capitals, are: the Far North with its capital as Maroua, the North whose capital is Garoua, the Adamawa and Ngaoundere, the North West and Bamenda, the West and Bafoussam, the Littoral and Douala which is also the national economic capital, the Centre and Yaounde which is also the national political and diplomatic capital, the South and Ebolowa, and finally the East and Bertoua.

One of the problems with Buea is that while the nine other regional headquarters have “grown up and moved on”, Buea has basically remained rooted to the spot, refusing to grow up and join the “big boys”. One example is that a couple of years ago when the government decided to break up the big towns into three different administrative units and thus increase the number of sub Divisions in the country, all of the other nine regional headquarters benefited from the move by being split. Buea alone remained as a single sub division. Yet with each of the new sub divisions came a local government council and a new way of looking at things.

The new administrative units were a welcomed innovation for the local populations because as the government put it, this was a way of bringing the administration nearer to the people”. To substantiate the point, they point to the services brought about by the new administrative units such as a district office, a police station, sub delegations of the various ministerial departments and a host of other amenities.

The creation of new local councils has also greatly changed the outlook in the towns in question. A typical example is the keen competition that has developed among the three new local councils in Bamenda city, headquarters of the North West Region, which benefited from the split into three units. These are Bamenda 1 Council which corresponds to the territory of Mendankwe village and includes the administrative quarter of the city since this is where the regional governor and his Etat Major as well as the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam and his own Etat Major live and work. The Bamenda 2 Council area corresponds to the villages of Mankon, Mbatu, Nsongwa and Chomba. Bamenda 3 is Nkwen village and its northern neighbour, Banjah. Like we said earlier, the two new structures that are the sub Division and the Council have greatly enriched life in their localities. One can therefore imagine the loss that Buea suffers from having been left as single Sub Division and a single Council. One government official said Buea did not qualify for the spit because it is still a “small” town, compared with the others.

One aspect that is even more striking is that in addition to the other nine ten regional headquarters being split, in some regions, even divisional headquarters considered to be large were also split. An example is Limbe, headquarters of Fako Division of which Buea, the regional headquarters is part. Kumba, divisional headquarters of Meme Division still in the South West Region was also broken up into three new sub Divisions and three new Councils.

Paradoxically, the regional hospital of the province is located not in Buea the regional headquarters but in Limbe, the divisional headquarters. Instead, Buea has been made to host a provincial hospital “annex”, which of course is comparatively smaller and less commanding. Still, compared with Limbe, Buea really does not have urban roads worthy of the name. Apart from the long street that runs from Mile 17 through Bongo Square and up to the SOWEDA and National Security junction, there is not much else to see as a road in the city. Even so, one notices that the city’s lone main road described above , despite having been redeveloped some years ago and given two lanes, still remains a death trap which one has to seriously watch out for when crossing because the narrowness makes fleeting vehicles a danger to pedestrians.

Buea does not have a market worthy of a regional headquarters. For years now, it has had to contend with the make shift and unsightly structure that stands like an eyesore next to the OIC, the international outfit put in place to train young people in professional job skill areas such as catering and carpentry. Ironically, people who live in Buea and want to buy foodstuffs in a “serious” market are obliged to go to Muea whose market attracts sellers and buyers from all the neighbouring towns. Yet Muea is a smaller town in Buea Sub Division. Furthermore, some necessities that one might take for granted in a town or city may be surprisingly missing in Buea. One example is the fax machine. So it is very frustrating for anyone, notably a businessman who has an urgent text to fax to realize that after hours of searching, they are till unable to find one.

Even so, when one looks carefully at the city of Buea, one finds that probably in no other place in Cameroon are there as many assets as there are in Buea. For the tourist, Buea offers a unique climate which changes as one goes up the town from, Mile 17 and passes through the bright weather of Molyko, the overcast sky of Bongo Square, the fog covered atmosphere of Bishop Rogan College and the humid tea plantation of Tole.

Buea is a major historic town of Cameroon, the proof being the legacy the Germans left when they settled there. This includes the former residence of the Governor General at the time, a building which later became the famous 72 bedroom official residence of the prime minister of the state of West Cameroon. The building still stands there today as testimony of the role Buea once played in shaping the history of Cameroon. Apart from that sumptuous edifice, there are numerous other houses in the city which were built and inhabited by the Germans before they were booted out by the allies when they lost the World War. Today, they constitute a major tourist site.

The history of today’s Cameroon or that of the former West Cameroon or even the Southern Cameroons can not be effectively written without pride of place being given to Buea. Who does not remember that this was the seat of power in Cameroon West of the Mungo, even when our people sat in the Eastern Nigerian House? When later following the plebiscite the State of West Cameroon was created as part of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, who does not remember that this was where our prime ministers lived and worked. Who does not remember that this was the seat of government of the State? Has anyone forgotten the capital role played by Radio Buea at the time? How about the penetrating music of the Super Ambiance Orchestra of the Lido Bar in Kumba? Have we forgotten the Bali Modern Jazz Orchestra led by Dr Moses Fokong? Have we forgotten famous radio names such as Mary Kamara, Annembom Monju, Rahel Fombuh, Maurice Odine, John Ndane, Paul Kode and a host of others?

Buea boasts cash crop plantations of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) in and all around it. As plantations are crowd pulling locations in terms of the many people who have to go and live and work there, their mere location adds a spice to the daily lives of the community. Plantations are of course a source of employment for those who are interested in working. Increasingly though, businesses and other investments are taking root in Buea. Some of the latest are Chariot Hotel, the new palace of the Chief of Muea, the King David Square Hotel in Muea, the three new petrol stations along the road from Mile 17 to Mile 13, the multiple storey building being put up at Mile 17 by the Lobe Cooperative Credit Union, the National Social Insurance Fund complex, as well as the numerous student hostels, popularly known as “mini cites” dotted here and there in the city. Unfortunately, Buea lost the historic Mountain Hotel some years ago. It was allowed to fall into disuse, get dilapidated and collapse. This is a pity because of what the hotel represented in the making of the history of Cameroon, especially history west of the Mungo.

Apart from the thousands of students that the University of Buea has on its campus, there are also students in a good number of other educational institutions which make the city an indisputable citadel of learning - in fact one of the major ones in the country. Others include the Pan African Institute for Rural Development, the National School of Penitentiary Administration, the National School of Public Works and the National School of Posts and Telecommunications, to name some. Mention must also be made of the numerous institutions of higher education which have seen the light of day in conformity with government’s policy of expanding higher education in the private sector.

So, what has happened to our Buea? Has it been cursed? Is someone holding it back deliberately? Whatever is the case, what is certain is that the city needs shock therapy to get up and take its rightful place in today’s Cameroon. The problem is no longer at the local level. So it is not a matter for the governor or the District Officer or the Mayor. It is a matter for everyone. It concerns anyone who lives or works in Buea or cares about the place, even if they live and work elsewhere. Perhaps such people could now come together without any discrimination and set up some form of platform for the resuscitation of the city of Buea. Only then can this lovely city of ours rise and shine again.Copyright 2010

Why things happen the way they doThat is the questionNothing more, nothing lessThere`s no escape routeNot even for the fleet-footed AriesThere`s no turning backThe Rubicon has been crossed.

Just in case you`re thinking of tango for twoDon`t forget the watchword, creationEven if you think you`re pennilessThe day you`re en routeYou may want to check out DumfriesAnd perhaps grab a Big MacBut only make sure nothing is crushed.

No matter what, don’t give upStay the course and dig in your heelsTell them you’re here to stayDon`t throw in the towelNever give upUntil the bones are rotten.

Don`t be afraid of the bust upSurely, it can`t be meals on wheelsIt`s simply a question of making hayMore or less like George OrwellAnd feeling fired upAlso, wherever you go, don`t forget your cotton.Copyright 2010

I have withdrawn the bouquetsAll of themThey’re all here with meNot a single one is leftBelieve meWhen she comes backShe’ll see an empty spaceReminiscent of Godot`s long wait.

I’m not a middle road manThat’s why bouquets mean the world to meThe road carcasses are twitchingYet not one fly has left themEven they are thirsty for bouquetsSo when the time comes spaces or no spacesAll the front-runners will fail to run.

They have acknowledged the factThey told me so a long time agoThat’s why the standard bearer is hereClear the decksAnd saddle the horsesMake way for the ombudsman.

Forget about the humid weatherIf you have lost your bearingsDon’t wait for the water bearerContinue to stack the coffee sacksAnd at all times, put your hand to the ploughIn the end, put up your feet and have a good laugh.

I’m not too keen on a sea bathI prefer one with just Aloe VeraAnd a pinch of camel water dilutedThe sea doesn’t cherish my wry hairBecause it hates to waste its waters on itThat’s why any bather who tries anything crazyEnds up by being gulped by crocodiles.

Thank you for the golden pathI won’t forget to hint VeraEven if she still feels buttedAlthough you may think this not fairI know it is right and we’re fitCount out those who are lazyFor we’ll make them walk on burning tiles.

The wind is blowing mildlyBut the rain gods have allAnd against all oddsAgain reared their ugly headsNot even the fact that Marimar is onAnd that our kids are glued to the boxOr anything else, matters.

Yet, old Babila languishes quietlyHe is mindful of the fallAnd this season`s deadly podsAgriculture will be the watchword for headsEven those who steal away to Miramare for funBut the ones who return without socksWill regret they lost their knickers.

We heard them scramble out and offIt was when the cock crowed twiceThe sky was overcastAnd bundled up in our cage we held our breathOur voices drowned in the hissing of the cricketsTrees swayed and shook with the windOnly the legendary peace plant stood in defiance.

We still alive, considered ourselves toughAs the unfortunate went away with their fat liesWe felt never before had the devil been so recast.I remembered the day the French president ran out of breathAnd the British premier mocked him about sour wicketsNow, I thought, I really must rescindAfter all, the essence was what the Swiss call `confiance`.

How do you want it?Hot or cold?And do you want it shredded or puffed up?What about the small print?Shall you read itOr shall you, like Lukong, simply ignore it all?

I need fishing tools that fitNot talking drums that scoldSo if you can`t decipher, then shut upPeople who shudder should visit PresprintAnd make sure when they browse, they don`t positRemember the saying,`all for one and one for all`?

Your clock time is upSo, don`t botherDown your ancient toolsAnd pack your worn out bagsPolythene, textile, plasticPut all of them togetherLump them together.

I know you`re fired upBut not all burning coals smolderFor that is the preserve of foolsOn your way, beware of makeshift gagsThey turned Umaru Diko into plasticsThe only place for salvation today is BethlehemIt`s only there that you can live for ever.Copyright 2010

Why do people smile?Why do they cover their faces with inviting innuendos?Why don`t they go on and just cry for days?Are they afraid the sky will fall on them?Or do they fear they may burst through the roof?Is it because we all live in glass housesOr because life is rough, amorphous, acidic and shapeless?

I`m always prepared to go the extra mileWhere others fear to trade their wristsThis is because I have decided to follow Christ’s waysThat`s why when I smile, I smile for themBy the way, if you have lifted the horses’ hoofYou`ll know why when people cry, a simple smile douses.To smile, you must be spiteless, spotless and stainless.

Are you the errand girl?Or are you just the mail runner?Did you did your hand in the holy water wellOr were you only eager to receive Holy Communion?Don`t imitate the priestsDo your own thing

The church is not a whirlwind in a twirlIt`s God`s fortress for the sinnerOr those who want to avoid hellAnd for ever dwell in God`s dominion.Stay close to your priestsThey`re those in God`s chosen ring.

mercredi 7 juillet 2010

PRESENTATION OF BOOK MY BOOK, SAY NO TO AIDS JUST GONE ON NATIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS BOOK LIST FOR FRANCOPHONE AND ANGLOPHONE CLASSES

Title: Say No to AIDSAuthor: Tikum Mbah AzongaGenre: PoetryLanguage: English and French but no translationsDiscipline: Health CommunicationMethod of communication: Mass communicationTarget readership: Secondary school, high school, university and adults___________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT

In the face of the prevailing grim statistics that depict the unprecedented ravages caused by the HIV AIDS pandemic not only in Cameroon but in the rest of Africa notably, it is clear that the world is at the precipice of a major world catastrophe.

In reaction to the daunting deadly disease, various action plans have been put in place by the world community through relevant UN agencies such as UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF and international NGOs such as PLAN International, the International Red Cross and Save the Children, as well as individual governments. The case of our country, Cameroon, is strongly stated by the former Minister of Public Health, Urbain Olanguena Awono, who in the preface to Say No to AIDS, affirms:

The book picks up a novel path in the bid to target especially teenagers and young adults who are the most vulnerable members of society as far as the HIV AIDS epidemic is concerned. Say No to AIDS does so through the medium of mass communication. It employs the language of poetry, which like drama and song, fall under what has come to be known as the “folk media” . The idea is to tackle a phenomenon as grave as HIV AIDS not just through education-sensitisation as such but through what some researchers have called “edutainment”. For a vulnerable group of young people such as those we have in secondary schools and institutions of higher education like the University of Buea, this approach can be quite appropriate.

Say No to AIDS is conveniently broken up into five main thematic sections: prevention, voluntary testing and counselling, care of the infected, support of the affected, and living with AIDS. Poems that fall under each section are thrown into that section, regardless of which of the two official languages (English or French) they are written in. Viewed from another perspective, this notion of bilingual poems being laid out thematically rather than linguistically constitutes a new approach to bilingual publishing in Cameroon. So far, publishing bilingually had meant publishing in one language and then turning the book around and publishing in the other language such that one of the two covers of the publication is in English and the other in French. In the case of the print media though, it has been common to find a few articles in English sprinkled on a limited number of pages of some French publications.

As a pedagogic tool, Say No to AIDS can have limitless uses. Not only can students work on poems in their first Foreign Language but also, they can study the second Foreign Language through the poetry of that language. In this way, cross-boarder interaction or what is more commonly known in research as multidisciplinary pedagogy is enhanced. The icing on the cake comes from the fact that since no poem in the collection is a translation of the other, each poem having been written in the language in which it is published, whatever poem the reader chooses to look at is “new”.

Concerning the applicability of the work, the author says: “Say No to AIDS is a practical work of art, written for everyone and anyone, and conceived such that it can be used by readers at all levels. Teachers can use some of the poems as stimuli for classroom exercises or in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. It is possible to extract part or all of a poem and use it as a slogan that can be recited by pupils or students, made into a label and stuck on home windows and doors, vehicles or even bags. Musicians can select some poems and compose songs that can be listened to or danced, just as dramatists can adapt some for school or community theatre”.

The ultimate aim of the book is to carry the message therein to as many victims and potential victims of HIV AIDS as possible. We hope that this approach of HIV AIDS awareness creation through mass communication, which is an aspect of health communication, will go a long way towards attaining that objective.

I know themI know them allI know each of them by nameI have counted their match boxesAnd they all tally perfectlyTheir names are written in scarlet and goldAnd their index fingers are guilt-edged.

They wear socks without shoesAnd rake their home paths the wrong wayThey have all mortgaged their wanton livesAll because they hoped for crumbsFrom the minister`s dinner tableThey don`t know they`re like the naked emperorNor that they live in transparent glass houses.

mardi 6 juillet 2010

On July 21 of this year, 2010, it will be exactly six months since Ndeh Ntumazah, incontestably one of the greatest makers of modern Cameroon died. He gave up the ghosts in London, at the ripe old age of 83. He wentblind for some years before he died. Incidentally therefore, he died out of Cameroon, which is where he spent the greater part of his life as a leading member of the opposition party, Union of the Populations of Cameroon (UPC).

Writing on the UP STATION MOUNTAIN CLUB blog, Prof Tazoacha Asonganyi, a modern day political pundit and former Secretary General of the main opposition SDF party of Cameroon said: "Pa Ntumazah was a political activist for nearly 60 years. He joined the UPC around 1950 and remained a militant of the party until his demise. When the UPC was banned in French Cameroon in 1955, he was advised by his comrades to create another party in the Southern Cameroons, which would be the UPC in disguise. The party was called "One Kamerun Movement - OK", with Ndeh Ntumazah as its President. Following its banning, the UPC started a war of liberation in French Cameroon, so Ntumazah from the safety of Southern Cameroons, liaised with his comrades in French Cameroon to carry out their underground operations."

Following the determination of France and the Ahidjo regime to crush the liberation war (a `war of terrorism` according to the other camp), Ntumazah went on self-exile in 1962. His life and experiences abroad as he stayed committed to the cause of the UPC can fill volumes of books. In the process, Ntumazah moved from country to country, bought and smuggled arms into Cameroon where other leaders of the UPC such as Ernest Ouandie and Um Nyobe had stayed on to continue the struggle. He changed his names to Mbarack Ben Ibrahim. Back in Cameroon, Ntumazah was some kind of maverick. He was believed to be a magical man who could appear and disappear at any time and go unnoticed by the forces of law and order who were out for him, dead of alive. Ntumazah was a highly intelligent man who spoke both English and French with ease. He was knowledgeable in many disciplines and areas. In fact, Ndeh Ntumazah was known to be highly intelligent. He met and rubbed shoulders with many world great leaders and I would like to think that he learned a lot from them.

That was how he struck me when I came face to face with him in London in the late 1980s. The occasion was a joint press conference he and Mongo Beti gave on the then political situation in Cameroon. I was at the event as a reporter for the London-based WEST AFRICA magazine. When I raised my hand to ask a question that I specified was directed to Mongo Beti but also stressed that I would ask it in English, Ntumazah stepped in and asked me to ask it in French because as he put it, I spoke French very well. I was staggered because I had not known he knew me. On the same occasion, I asked him whether it was true that he used to appear in Cameroon and disappear at will. His terse but jocular response was: "Why should I tell you my secrets?" We alllaughed about it.

That was Ntumazah as I new him. However, at the time of his death, he had lost practically all the leading comrades with whom he championed the liberation of Cameroon within the UPC party. Some had been tracked down and shot dead, others had been arrested, tried and executed, and some (at least one) had been poisoned. Worse still for him the UPC in the end lost the struggle to the French/Ahidjo regime that they had combated all along. And what’s more, some members of the UPC had crossed the carpet and joined Ahidjo CNU party. As Ntumazah left this world, Paul Biya whom he criticized as just another extension of Ahidjo was not just still ruling Cameroon but actually gave him Ntumazah a state funeral. Did Ntumazah realize this in the world beyond? If he did, how did he take it?

The commendable statesman must have departed thinking of the many other liberation struggles in Africa, which in the end succeeded by leading to the independence of their countries, in this: how could a man as intelligent as Ndeh Ntumazah have chosen the wrong team?How could he have barked up the wrong tree so badly? Could he in his unfathomable wisdom not have known from the very beginning where it would all end up? By being given a state funeral by Paul Biya, it would seem that the president had in the end made Ndeh Ntumazah clad this virulent critique of the UPC in CPDM robes. That begs the question as to whether if it had been intimated to Ntumazah that on his death Biya would give him a state funeral, he would not have turned it down. But perhaps as the saying goes, politics is a dirty game.

So you’re a Buffalo girlBut not a Buffalo soldier?Are you sure of that?Or are you just kidding?Are buffaloes so easy to come by?Or are you one of a special breed?

I love beach flowers that twirlSo I can feel they’re so near and so dearGive me a pat, not a swatBecause never have you caught me fiddlingPerhaps when my finest horse finally comes nighThen will I at last accept I was one of a noble breed?

jeudi 1 juillet 2010

I have a weird feelingI have this odd sensation that Any time from nowAll the birds will stop chirpingAll snakes will stop hissingAll asses will stop brayingAll credit card holders will tear them upAll cars on hire purchase will be returnedAnd all Cameroonians in the US will stop taxes to DC.They’ll be asked to chooseWhether to go and not returnOr whether to stay and not go.

Two wrongs don`t make a rightSo the saying goesJut like two corners don`t make a goalAnd Nigeria`s President Goodluck Jonathan knows that too well.If you think the difference between Yaounde and WashingtonIs like day and nightThen climb up the Statue of LibertyAnd like the owner of the colt in the bibleTell the world the master needs it.

Qui êtes-vous ?

I speak over twenty languages. I have native-level command of both French and English. In fact, after my higher education in France, I was recruited by France and seconded to a High School in London as a "French Mother Tongue" teacher, or what is commonly referred to as a Foreign Language Assistant. I am by training a journalist, teacher of French and Spanish, as well as a translator-interpreter. I studied in Cameroon, France and England.I have criss crossed Africa and Europe.I have worked as a journalist and teacher of French and Spanish in some United Kingdom High Schools, but especially in London. Today, I teach journalism at the University of Buea in Cameroon.
I have published books of poetry in English and French, some of which are official text books in Cameroonian schools. I am currently working on a collection of poems in Spanish and another in Ewondo, a variety of the Beti language spoken in three of Cameroon's ten regions as well as in parts of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.